Planning for a VERY TIGHT budget PC.

[halfeatenpotato]

Hi guys, I'm here to plan my next build.

 

Currently, I'm sitting on a Sleeper HP Desktop ( i5-2400, 1050Ti, 8GB RAM ). I currently have some money in hand, and wonder if I could get something good with this.

 

So I have $500AUD ( which equals 384USD, 289 Pounds, 329EUR, 494CAD as of 8:23PM 1/11/2017 AEST )

I don't really expect much of a performance boost because it is surely a small amount of money.

I'd prefer switching to a Micro-ATX case, as I usually move the desktop around and ATX is kinda heavy and Mini-ITX seems expensive.

 

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks!

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

thanks for the money conversion! everyone should do that. 

 

it's not a lot of money, for sure.

 

you say you want to move to micro-ATX. would that require buying a new motherboard for you? or just a new case? 

if it does, your OEM version of Windows will no longer work. you will need to buy Windows again, which here costs €145, at the time of writing this. 

yes, i know you can get it for really cheap online, but most of the time those keys are against Microsoft terms of service. 

 

what are you using the pc for? if i know that, i can give advice on what parts to upgrade. 

[Bruno_A]

Yeah, you can game with those specs. The build that is in my signature is not a year old yet and I'm very happy with it. It was originally a GTX 660, which I later upgraded for a GTX 1060 3GB for £100 (£110 because the guy delivered it). I would first try Facebook classified groups before buying, or maybe gumtree, I've heard it's good. You can get ridiculous deals locally, trust me.

[Guest]

I'd suggest keeping the 1050ti and your existing HDD, and sell your current PC on facebook, gumtree, or anyother websites. Then buy windows 10 off of kinguin.net for $30 because it wont justautomatically boot in a new PC and (I am assuming that you have all peripherals, monitor, keyboard and mouse), backup all of your data, install windows with all of your existing games/files and your done.

[Guest]

PCPartPicker part list: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/3XqR2R
Price breakdown by merchant: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/3XqR2R/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($138.00 @ Shopping Express)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($105.60 @ Newegg Australia)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($128.00 @ Umart)
Case: Deepcool - Frame MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.00 @ Scorptec)
Power Supply: Silverstone - 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($49.00 @ Umart)
Total: $459.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-01 21:17 AEDT+1100

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

1 minute ago, TheBeastPC said:

I'd suggest keeping the 1050ti and your existing HDD, and sell your current PC on facebook, gumtree, or anyother websites. Then buy windows 10 off of kinguin.net for $30 because it wont justautomatically boot in a new PC and (I am assuming that you have all peripherals, monitor, keyboard and mouse), backup all of your data, install windows with all of your existing games/files and your done.

 

Just now, TheBeastPC said:

PCPartPicker part list: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/3XqR2R
Price breakdown by merchant: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/3XqR2R/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($138.00 @ Shopping Express)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($105.60 @ Newegg Australia)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($128.00 @ Umart)
Case: Deepcool - Frame MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.00 @ Scorptec)
Power Supply: Silverstone - 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($49.00 @ Umart)
Total: $459.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-01 21:17 AEDT+1100

1. he can't ever get enough money for that older machine to afford this.

2. $30 Windows keys are a really bad idea, and against Microsoft terms of service

3. what he should do is upgrade his cpu to a 2600, which would be a lot more performance and still totally fine by today's standards. or if he's purely gaming, sell that gpu and get a better one, as long as it won't get bottlenecked by his i5. or find a magical deal on a 1060 and a 2600. 

4. keeping an old hdd? you can get good ssd's for €50....

[halfeatenpotato]

39 minutes ago, firelighter487 said:

thanks for the money conversion! everyone should do that. 

 

it's not a lot of money, for sure.

 

you say you want to move to micro-ATX. would that require buying a new motherboard for you? or just a new case? 

if it does, your OEM version of Windows will no longer work. you will need to buy Windows again, which here costs €145, at the time of writing this. 

yes, i know you can get it for really cheap online, but most of the time those keys are against Microsoft terms of service. 

 

what are you using the pc for? if i know that, i can give advice on what parts to upgrade. 

I prefer Micro-ATX because it's cheap here in Australia. Plus, I use this for some gaming like PUBG and AAA. But low settings doesn't feel like the best

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

Just now, halfeatenpotato said:

I prefer Micro-ATX because it's cheap here in Australia. Plus, I use this for some gaming like PUBG and AAA. But low settings doesn't feel like the best

are you using your cpu 100% when gaming? 

[halfeatenpotato]

Just now, firelighter487 said:

are you using your cpu 100% when gaming? 

Yep. Never ran over 80oC or bottlenecks under load.

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

Just now, halfeatenpotato said:

Yep. Never ran over 80oC or bottlenecks under load.

if he cpu is 100% you could upgrade it. if the board supports it, put a 2600 in it. 

[halfeatenpotato]

8 minutes ago, firelighter487 said:

 

1. he can't ever get enough money for that older machine to afford this.

2. $30 Windows keys are a really bad idea, and against Microsoft terms of service

3. what he should do is upgrade his cpu to a 2600, which would be a lot more performance and still totally fine by today's standards. or if he's purely gaming, sell that gpu and get a better one, as long as it won't get bottlenecked by his i5. or find a magical deal on a 1060 and a 2600. 

4. keeping an old hdd? you can get good ssd's for €50....

1. Good point, i5 2400 OEMs are going for as cheap as $140AUD. So it's impossible to gain profit.

2. My bud got a spare Windows 10 license, so that's a job done.

3. idk, i7 2600 OEMs are cheap but not in custom builds. Plus, their power supply is my main concern, it maybe 80+ Gold, but ~240w can handle a 1050 Ti at max, without burning your house. (jk)

4. It's a worthless HDD, 250GB. It's nearly free. But of course I'll aim for SSD, if possible.

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

Just now, halfeatenpotato said:

1. Good point, i5 2400 OEMs are going for as cheap as $140AUD.

2. My bud got a spare Windows 10 license, so that's a job done.

3. idk, i7 2600 OEMs are cheap but not in custom builds. Plus, their power supply is my main concern, it maybe 80+ Gold, but ~240w can handle a 1050 Ti at max, without burning your house. (jk)

4. It's a worthless HDD, 250GB. It's nearly free. But of course I'll aim for SSD, if possible.

1-2. cool

3. their psu? i thought this was your system... but ok. and yeah, a 240 watt on a 2600 is not a good idea. 

4. you can get good Kingston or Sandisk ssd's for around €50-60 here. i'd recommend one of those. 

[halfeatenpotato]

5 minutes ago, firelighter487 said:

if he cpu is 100% you could upgrade it. if the board supports it, put a 2600 in it. 

I appreciate that, 2600 seems fairly good. That might be the best bet. A 1050Ti with 2600, beautiful.

 

What's even better, I forgot to tell you mates that I hunt most of my stuff on Gumtree and nearby pawn shops. They don't have much components, but peripherals are dirt cheap.

 

Plus, how do you tag your PC specs below any of your posts? I'm curious.

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

1 minute ago, halfeatenpotato said:

I appreciate that, 2600 seems fairly good. That might be the best bet. A 1050Ti with 2600, beautiful.

 

6 minutes ago, halfeatenpotato said:

idk, i7 2600 OEMs are cheap but not in custom builds. 

i'm a little confused... 

 

2 minutes ago, halfeatenpotato said:

Plus, how do you tag your PC specs below any of your posts? I'm curious.

click on your name in the top right, then go to account settings. there is a tab called "signature". you can put it there. 

[halfeatenpotato]

3 minutes ago, firelighter487 said:

 

i'm a little confused... 

 

click on your name in the top right, then go to account settings. there is a tab called "signature". you can put it there. 

Ah yes. Let me explain. So what I meant was i7 2600 builds which are prebuilt Dell, HP, Lenovo,...are cheaper than someone with a i7 2600 in a custom case. Basically, I guess putting it in a nice looking case really makes it more expensive lol.

 

For example, on eBay rn i can see i7 2600 HP's around $200aud, but with a different case that is not OEM, the price tag is way higher. Even if it has a terabyte of HDD, more RAM, still wouldn't make a big difference.

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

Just now, halfeatenpotato said:

Ah yes. Let me explain. So what I meant was i7 2600 builds which are prebuilt Dell, HP, Lenovo,...are cheaper than someone with a i7 2600 in a custom case. Basically, I guess putting it in a nice looking case really makes it more expensive lol.

oh okay, but i thought you wanted to upgrade your current pc. then you said this: 

 

12 minutes ago, halfeatenpotato said:

idk, i7 2600 OEMs are cheap but not in custom builds. Plus, their power supply is my main concern, it maybe 80+ Gold, but ~240w can handle a 1050 Ti at max, without burning your house. (jk)

 

then, i said this: 

 

10 minutes ago, firelighter487 said:

their psu? i thought this was your system... but ok. and yeah, a 240 watt on a 2600 is not a good idea. 

after i posted that, you said this:

 

8 minutes ago, halfeatenpotato said:

I appreciate that, 2600 seems fairly good. That might be the best bet. A 1050Ti with 2600, beautiful.

that i don't understand.